Survey suggests residents back heritage designation

Early results from a survey of residents of Windsor Avenue and Penticton’s K streets show strong support for a proposal to designate those neighbourhoods as heritage conservation areas in the city’s new official community plan.

This week, the City of Penticton wrapped up a series of information sessions about the proposal and is now collecting feedback from residents of the affected areas.

“Most of the people who have responded to the survey are very supportive of the proposal to protect the character of the neighbourhoods and, in particular, agree with the restrictions on the height and the roof pitch of possible renovations and new developments,” said special projects manager Ben Johnson, who is leading the work for the city.

“Those that are not supportive have questions about their ability to develop their property as they would like, as well as the potential impact on property values and the costs to renovate.”

Residents can find answers to these questions and a link to the feedback form at shapeyourcitypenticton.ca.

“There were lots of great comments and questions from the attendees at the information sessions, which we have captured and posted for everyone to consider,” engagement strategist JoAnne Kleb said in a statement. “There is still a week left to provide feedback, and we are hoping to hear from as many residents in these areas as possible.”

City staff mailed notices to 418 addresses to inform affected residents about the proposal and invite them to the engagement activities. The four information sessions hosted by the city were attended by 143 residents, and the city has received more than 60 feedback forms to date. Anyone who missed the presentation can watch a recorded version and complete the survey at shapeyourcitypenticton.ca.

The city is collecting feedback on the proposal until next Friday. Paper copies of the feedback form are available at Penticton City Hall and the public library.